Valve construction



May 12,1942.-

VALVE GONSTRUCTi ON Filed June 4, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 '//AHIIII 07/3 6 fl/AAT/A/ INVENTORV ATTORNEY o. c. MARTIN Q n I Q s i; MM'MMIE Patented May12, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT 01 mg Otis 0. Martin, Los Angeles, Calif. 7

Application June 4, 1940, Serial No. 338,727 1 Claim. (01. 277-20) My invention relates to valves and hasparticular reference to a valve construction particularly adapted for controlling hydraulicor pneumatic pressure.

In connection with fluid power operated apparatus, the types of valves-which have been used heretofore have been for the most part heavy cumbersome constructions which have re-' quired complete disconnection and removal of the valves from the lines in order to make repairs or adjustments of the various valve parts.

This objection is particularly obnoxious in indu's-- tries in which loss of time in making repairs is ofextreme importance; for example, in the valves .used for controlling hydraulically or pneumatically various functions of an airplane, the necessity for quick repairs is urgent and in prior types of valves used for this purpose it was necessary to completely remove the valves and either substitute an entire valve or delayplacing the plane back into operation until the original valve had been repaired and reinstalled. 2

In my copending application Serial No. 323,376,

' tus;

a valve.construction particularly adapted for re versible fluid power machinery, in which a pair of double valve units may be assembled together in a single valve body so as to provide for con-' trolling the supply of fluidlpower in either direc-' tion of flow lines leading tothe fluid operated mechanisms.

Other objectsand advantages of my invention will be apparent from a studyof the following specifications, read in connection'with the accompanying drawings, wherein V Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a valve constructed in accordance with my invention and illustrated diagrammatically as being connected to a two-way piston and cylinder fluid power appara- Fig. 2 is an exploded view sembly constructed in accordance with my invention; -i Fig. 3 is a detail elevational view of an assembled valve unit shown in Fig. 2; l

I have described and claimed a new type of valve f which is characterized by its compactness and ease of original manufacture and the ease with I which the same may be connected to or disco'm nected from the flow lines in making repairs and replacements. However, while the valve described in thatapplication solves a number of the-problems relating to weight 'and spacerequirements, it is primary object of the present invention to provide an extremely simple valve construction which will facilitate the making of repairs to valves without requiringthe removal or disconnection ofthe valves from the flow lines.

valve construction which is adapted for any hydraulic or pneumatic power use and in which the valve member and valve seat may be assembled together as a single "removable and replaceable unit, thus facilitating repairs to the valves merely by the removal of one unit and replacement thereof by a new or reconditioned unit.

Another object of my invention is to provide a-construction as set forth in the preceding. paragraph in which the valve unit is particularly adapted forthree-way valve operations and in which the valve .unit includes two valve seats-and twoindependently operable valve'membe'rs, the unit being bodily removable and replaceable with- "inthevalve' which .may be permanently connected to the flow lines? Another object of myinvention is toiprovide- I I Another object of my invention is-to provide a v Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the valveconstruction illustrated in Fig. 1, the view being taken along line IV-fl-IV of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken through the'valve illustrated in Fig. 1, the section being taken along the line V--V of Fig. l, and illus- 1 trating the valve parts in closed position; and

V Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view identical with Fig. 5 but illustratingthe position of the valve parts upon operation of the valve handle to move the fluid power mechanism in one direction.

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated in Fig. 1 a;valve l constructed.inaccordance with my invention, such valve including a body mem-:

her or block 2 which may be and is preferably constructed from a single'block of suitable material, either metal or plastic" material, though for the purpose ofpermitting my valve to control pressures of several hundreds of pounds and yet be extremely light in weight I prefer to form the body block 2 fromsasingle piece'of aluminum allo'yfsuch as duralumin. c

The particular form .of valve illustrated in Fig. 1 is one which is adapt'ed'to'control reversible power apparatus such as a piston and cylinder mechanism 3,, selected merely for thepurposes of illustration as including a cylinder 4,- within which reciprocates a piston coupled to what-- ever device is to be operated thereby by means of a. piston rod 6.. At. one end ofthe cylinder I i is a fluid'inlet I while at the. oppo'site'end there is a fluid inlet 8 so-that by supplying fluid under pressure to the inlet"| the'piston 5 willv move from the right-hand end of the cylinder 4, as

of a valve unit as- F viewed in Fig. 1, toward the left-hand end, exhaust fluid from the left-hand side of the piston I being passed out through the fluid inlet (outlet) 3. By supplying fluid pressure through the fluid inlet 8 and exhaust fluid through the inlet (out- With the form of valve illustrated in Fig. 1,

the valve body block 2 is provided with a plurality of ports 9, III, II and J2, respectively, to

which may be connected the various pipe lines required for-the operation of the system; for example, the port 9 may be coupled to a supply pipe l3 leading from a suitabletank or other source of fluid under pressure while the port l may be coupled by a suitable pipe l4 as a return line to the tank or as an exhaust line exhausting to the'atmosphere. The port ll may be connected by a suitable pipe I! to the inlet 1 for the cylinder 4 while theport l2 may be connected with the fluid inlet Q of the cylinder 4- by means of a pipe l6. I

Referring particularly to Fig. 4, it will be observed that my valve isreadily adaptable for mounting in a number of diflerent positions i which will readily permit the connection of the various pipe linesto either one side or the other side of the valve body block 2 by forming the ports 9, l0, II and I2 on one side of the body block 2 and by forming corresponding ports on the opposite side of the body block, one pair of such ports being illustrated in Fig. 4 as including the supply port 9 to which the pipe line i3 is connected while a similar and corresponding port 9a is formed in the opposite side of the body block 2 with a laterally extending fluid passage 9b interconnecting the ports 9 and 9a. Thus the pipe line l3 may be connected to the left-hand side of the valve body if that is the most convenient side to obtain access to and the port 9a 'may be plugged with a suitable threaded plug H. v If, on the other hand, the right-hand side of the valve body 2 is'easiest of access, then the pipe [3 may be coupled by means of any suitable coue used to fill the port 9.

- pling It to theport 9a and the plug [1 may be I It will be understood that laterally extending bores or fluid passages llib, llb and l2b (see Fig. 5) extendlaterally through the valve body 2 so as to permit access for the pipes l4, l5 and It to either side of the valve body'in the same niannleir as was described for the port 9 and D96 Whenmy valve is to be employed with a powerapparatus such as 3, I prefer to provide in the valve block 2' a pair of valve chamber bores 19 and20, respectively, such valve bores extending in parallel relation to each other and disposed side 'by side in the same vertical plane. The valve bore, l9 preferably extends from the top surface of the valve body2 and is disposed between the fluid passage llb on the one hand and the fluid passages 9b and lib on the other hand, while-the valve bore 20 similarly extends from the topsurface of. the valve body 2 and is disposed between the fluid passage l2b on the one hand'and the fluid passages 9b and lob on the 75 other hand. Thus the fluid passages 9b and llib are common to both of the valve bores.

" The valve bore l9 may be readily formed by any suitable machining operation, such as by drilling from the top surface of the valve body and so forming the bore as to provide a bore, the upper portion l9a of which is of greater diameter than the portion l9b immediately below it while an inwardly projecting flange I90 is provided near the lower end of the bore and then an enlargement Hit of the bore is formed at its extreme lower end. This latter enlargement may be formed as illustrated and described in my copending application Serial .No. 330,752, as by running a suitable boring tool into and through the smaller portions I91: and l9b, and using this tool tocut or enlarge the bore as indicated at l9d.

.The bore l9' intercommunicates between the I pressure inlet passage 9b, the fluid passage llb and the exhaust fluid passage llib so that by inserting in the bore l9b a suitable valve assembly, such valve assembly will act as one or more partitions dividingthe bore l9 and preventing passage of fluid from the passage l9b to the passage llb except through a controllable valve,

and likewise preventing the passage of fluid from the passage ill) to the exhaust passage lob except through a controllable valve.

. The portion of the bore l9b provides a chamber into which may be received my' novel valve assembly unit indicated at 2l as comprising a seat member 22,'a sleeve valve member 23, a

poppet valve member 24, a cap member and suitable springs and packing rings which are assembled together in the relations illustrated particularly in the exploded view of Fig. 2;

a longitudinal bore 2Q extending therethrough, the diameter of-whichgis' just equal to the diam: eteroi;v the lower or bearing portion 21 of the sleeve valve 23 so as to support and guide the sleeve valve member 23 longitudinally of the seat member 22. An enlargement 28 is formedin the bore 26, the junction between the bore 26 and its enlargement being formed as a shoulder 29 which constitutes the lower seating surface gar the valve members associated with my unit Immediately above the enlargement 28 is a reduced diameter section 30 of the bore 26, which extends through the upperface of the valve seat member 22 andthe junction between the upper face and the bore section 30 constitutes a second valve seating surface 3|.

The sleeve valve 23 when in place in thebore' 29 has its seating surface 32 engageable with 2121888811118 surface 29 on the valve seat member It will be observed thatthe valve member 2: i has a longitudinal bore 33 extending there through, which bore acts as a bearing guide for the reception of an elongated stem 34 formed upon the second valve member 24, communication'between the valve member 24 and the valve member 23 being prevented by means of a suitable-packing or seal interposed about the stem 34 of the valve member 24. It will be noted that the bore 33 of the valve member. 23 has an enlargement 35 at its upper end of .sufflclent diameter to receive therein an annular valve packing member 35 preferably of V-shaped cross section and-which maybe formed of any suitable packing material though I preferto employ Neoprene. The groove 31 ofthe. V-shaped cross section of the packing member 35 permits pressure exerted from above the packing member 36 to spread this packing ring to cause it to snugly engage the stem 34 and the valve member 23 and act as an effective fluid pressure seal. To assist in this action I may provide a spreader .or washer 38 about the stem 34 and having a substantially T-shaped cross section, the base of the T extending into the groove 31 while the head of the T may act as a lower seating surface for .a valve operating spring 39 which surrounds the stem 34 and has its upper end bearing against a spring seating surface 48 formed upon the valve member 24. The spring 39 therefore acts as a means for normally urging the valve member 23 downwardly upon itsseat, requiring exertion of force all that is required is to dispose the fluid openings 48 within the body block 2 in such positionas to permit fluid under pressure entering and passing through the passage 9b therein to enter L through the fluid openings 48. When the valve member 24 is in seating relation upon its seat 3|,

such fluid under pressure cannot pass into the Q.

valve seating member nor pass therefrom.

against the lower end of the valve member 23 in order to raise it from its seat, as will be here; inafter more fully described. Y

' The valve member 24 is formed with an enlarged head 4|,,a portion of which extends as a radial flange 42 having upon its lower face an angularly disposed valve seating surface 43. When the valve member 24, valve member 23 Likewise when the valve assembly 2| is in the body block 2, the fluid openings 48a in the valve seat member 22 should be aligned with and communicate with the fluid passage ||b while the fluid openings 49 should be aligned with and communicate with the fluid passage |||b. This is readily accomplished by employing the principles of construction and manufacture described in my copending applications Serial No. 323,376, flled March 11, 1940, and Serial No. 330,752, flled,

April, 20, 1940, as by forming the bore l9, forming the bores' for the fluid pasages 9b, |b, ||b

and I21), and then inserting through the'bore l9 azsuitable boring tool which will enlarge the bore |9 as indicated at 58 to form an annular chamber surrounding the valve unit 2|, the diameter of theenlargement 50 being suflicient to intersect the fluid passage bore 912 at and thus provide for intercommunication between the fluid passage Qband the interior of the valve assembly 2|.

Similarly, the bore l9 may be enlarged as in ldicated at 52 immediately adjacent the location and valve seat member 22 are in assembled relation, the seating surface 43 is adapted to engage and seat upon the valve seating surface 3| in the valve seat member 32, aswill be apparent from an inspection of Fig.5. The valve member 24 is normally urged downwardly upon the seat 3| by means of a compression spring 44 which surrounds the head 4| of the valve member 24 and seats upon the upper surface of the flange 42 thereof. The upper end of the spring 44 is received within a socket 45 formed in the cap member so that when the cap member is assembled in place upon the valve member '22 the entire valve assembly unit includes the two valve,

members and the valve seating surface, together with their operating springs held in place and .ln their assembled relations by means of the cap 25.

It will be noted that the cap 25 is held in place upon the valve seating member 22 by means of the frictional engagement of the outer cylindrical surface 46 thereof within an enlargement 41 at the lower endof the socket 45 of the cap member 25, though it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the cap member may .be threaded or otherwise suitably secured upon the seating member 22.

To permit the passage of fluid under pressure into the valve assembly; and from the valve assembly through the proper chambers as the valve performs its functions, I provide a number ofv fluid openings 48 through the, side walls of .the

cap member 25, which when assembled upon the valve seating member provides fluid pressure above the valve member 24 and the valve seating surface 3|. Likewise I provide a plurality of fluid openings 48a in the side walls of the valve seat v member 22 communicating with the space between thevalve seat 3| and the valve seat 29"and I- further provide a plurality of fluid openings 49 through the walls of the valve, seat member 22 communicating with the interior thereof below the valve seat 29.

' By referring to Fig. 5, it will be observed that of the fluid openings 49, such enlargement 52 intersecting the fluid passage lb as indicated at As hereinbefore' described, the lowermost portion |9d of the bore I9 is an enlargement of the boref'and 'thisshould be so arranged as to intersect the fluid passage |0b as indicated at 54.

With the unit 21in place within the bore |9b and with various fluid passages 48, 49 and-58, re-

spectively aligned with and communicating with the fluid passages 91), ID and lob, it follows that fluid under pressure entering the passage 91) may, if valve member 24 is lifted from its seat 2|, pass through the valve into the enlargement or chamber 28 in the valve seat member 22, and

thence to the fluid passage lb. Also if the valve -24 is open, its seat and" valve member 23 israised from seat '23, fluid from the passage ||b may enter'the chamber 28 and thence, pass-the valve member -23 and exhaust out through the openings 50 and through the exhaust fluidpassage 10b.

At this point it should be noted thatthe valve vassembly unit 2| in eflect constitutes a remov able and replaceable complete. valve whichmay be inserted in or' removed from the body block,

the body blockmerelyproviding a ready mounting therefor and providing the fluid passages which may be permanently connected to the various fluid flow lines I 3, II and M, respective-- lygthe unit 2| when inserted in'thebore l9 .being retained in place therein by means of a plu 55 threaded into the upper enlarged and |9a of the bore I!) as indicatediat 56. i

In order to efiectively seal the valve assembly 1 relative to the'various fluid passages 91), l n |||b,"I,provide, first, a tapered or beveled shoul v der 51 on the exterioroffthe valve seat member 22 which is adaptedt'o rest upon and effectively seal upon the shoulder 58 of the inwardly'proecting flange I90, such seal effectively prevent--' Qing intercommunication between the fluid passage. Nb andthe fluid passage |||b except through the interior of the valve seating memher and past the valve member 23. Second, I

} sages 9b and lib, preventing intercommunica tion between these passages except through the valve assembly andv past the valve member 24. Third, to prevent escape of the fluid from the passage 9b upwardly around the cap 25, I provide a second Neoprene or other packing ring 60 interposed between the cap and the plug 55', a

wear ring SI of metal being preferably employed to prevent the rotary motion of the plug 55 when screwed into the bore i9 from injuring or destroying the packing ring 60.

Thus it will be observed that merely dropping the valve assembly 2i into the bore i9 and then screwing down the plug 55 will effectively seat the valve assembly upon the seating surface 58 and at the same time expand the packing rings '"and 80 into complete sealing engagement.

However, it will be observed that merely removing the plug 55 will allow the packing rings 59 and 60 to recede from the waHs of the bore i9, leaving the valve assembly 2i loose within the bore and permitting its ready removal from the bore merely by grasping a griphead 62 which may be formed upon the upper end of the cap 25. I

As hereinbefore stated, the one valve assembly 2i may be effectively employed as a three-way valve for any uses to which such type of valve may be put but in order to effectively adapt my construction to four-way valve use, as for power appliances such as illustrated at 3 in Fig. 1,. I provide a duplicate assembly Ila in the bore 20, the construction of the assembly'2ia and of the bore 2i! being identical with the constructions described for the assembly 2i and the bore i9.

To selectively operate my valve construction,

I provide in the body block i2 a suitable operatingshaft 83 which preferably extends transversely of the bores l9 and 20 and, as illustrated herein, such shaft 63 may be readily and inexpensively formed from a suitable piece of round bar stock having cam surfaces 64 and 65 turned thereon adjacent the inner end of the shaft while corresponding cam surfaces 66 and 61 may be turned thereon in such positionthat when the shaft is in place in the body block, the cam surface 65 will be disposed immediately below the downwardly extending stem 34 of thevalve member 24 while the surfaces 64 will be disposed immediately below the valve member 23. Similarly, the cam surfaces 66 will .be disposed between the valve member 28 and the assembly 2ia and the surface I! will be disposed immediately below the stem of the valve member 24 of the assembly 2ia. By disposing the cam surfaces in the correct relation relative to each other, it follows that when the valve is in the surfaces 66 should lift the valve member 23 of the assembly 2ia, which positions of the various parts are illustrated in Fig. 6. 'With the shaft in this position, fluid power from a suitable source entering the passage 9b will pass the valve 24 and, through passage lib, will be applied to pipe i5 to the right-hand end of the power mechanism 3. fluid from the left-hand side of the piston 5 will the valve member 23, into the exhaust fluid passage iiib where it may be exhaustedto the atmosphere through the pipe i4 or maybe returned to the source of pressure supply.

Likewise rotation ofthe shaft 63 in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5 will reverse the positions of the valves 23 and 24 on the assemblies 2| and 2ia whereby fluid-pressure from the source will pass through the assembly 2ia and enter the power apparatus at the left-hand side of the piston 5,

whileexhaust fluid will return through the pipe i5, fluid passage lib and past valve 23 of the assembly 2|,and so to the exhaust passage lob.

The shaft. may be mounted in the body block in any suitable manner, though I prefer in the interest of economy to merely provide asingle bore 58 in the body block 2 of suitable diameter to just permit the-insertion and ready rotation therein of the shaft 83, the outer end of the bore 68 being suitably packedby means of a cup-like annular packing member 69 which may be held in an expanded position by means of a cylindrical washer or sleeve iii, the packing, 69 being held in place by means of a cover plate H which is preferably providedlwith an internal shoulder 12 which will engage a shoulder 13 formed upon the shaft in place within the bore 88. A suitable handle 14- may be provided upon the shaft 63.

position indicated in- Fig. 5, which represents the 1 closed position of the valve (that is, all valves closed), the valve members 22 and 24 of assembly -2i will rest upon their respective seats'while the valve members 23 and 24 of'the assembly 2ia will likewise rest upon their respective seats, preventing the flow of power fluid to or from the power apparatus 3.

It will be observed therefore that with my new valve construction the active valve parts may be readily manufactured and assembled as units separate from the body so that the body may be permanently connected to the flow lines and repairs to the valve may be made merely by removing the plug, lifting out the valve assembly and replacing the same with a new or reconditioned assembly without delay and without requiring the labor of repairing-the present valves which require removal from their installation when repairs orreplacements are to be made.

In-order to facilitate the ready removal of the valve nits after they have been in place within the valve body, I prefer to make the packing rings 59 and 60 substantially self-releasing as by forming them with a wall thickness less than the width of the shoulders upon which they rest and with a wall length sufficiently great that when they are compressed by screwing down on the plugs 55 they will be distorted into tight sealing relation with the walls of the bore i9. Thus when the plugs 55 are removed, the natural resilience of the packing material will. cause them topull away from the walls of the bore i9. I find also that this retraction of the packing rings may be facilitated by forming them with an internal'diameter somewhat less than the external diameter of the valve seat member and 'cap member upon whicli'they are mounted sop-that At the same time the exhaustwhen they are in place upon these members they are under circumferential tension.-

, with said we at three points spaced respectively Again it will be observed that my novel use M a body block with the various pipe connec' tions permanently coupled thereto and with merely a relatively smooth-walled bore communieating with the fluid passages and the pipe connections permits adaptation of my valve to either single valve use, as by employing a seat member 22 with a single valve member 23 or 24 assembled therewith, orthe same essential structure 1 may be employed with a double valve assembly including both the valve member! 23 and 24 in. a single unit for three-way operation, or by mploying two or more of these assemblies in a single body block, tour-way or additional multiple way valve adaptations may be provided.

said seats and having a stem thereon extending While I have shown and described the, preierred embodiment or my invention, I do not desire to be'limited to any of the details of construction shown or described hereim exceptfas defined in the appended claim.

I claim: In a fluid controlvalve, a body member, a valve "receiving bore in said body' member, three fluid passages in said body member communicating along said bore, a valve assembly in said bore including a cylindrical valve seat member, a pair of valve seats tormed'in said seat member in spaced relation along said member, a sleeve valve member cooperating with one of said seats, a poppet valve member cooperating with theother of through said'sleeve member and exterlorlyoi! said seat member and a cap member on said seat member and enclosing said valve member. fluid passages formed in said cap member and said seat member communicating with the interiorof said assembly respectively above the poppet valve, betweenthe poppet valve and sleeve valve and below the sleeve valve. said fluid openings being disposed along said assembly in such spaced relation as to communicate respectively with the three fluid passages in said body member, and

a plurality of seals associated with said valve 

